Bishops take up Lent talk challenge

Three Welsh bishops are taking up a Lent challenge with a difference to deliver 40 talks over the next 40 days.

The challenge will take the Archbishop of Wales, the Assistant Bishop of Llandaff and the Bishop of Monmouth to eight different churches across south Wales.

A similar challenge last year saw around 1,000 people each week turn up to hear the talks and the bishops are hoping for the same success this time round.

The Archbishop, Dr Barry Morgan, and the Assistant Bishop, David Wilbourne, will deliver talks on Ruth, John, Job, Isaiah and Luke.

In addition to the talks, the evenings will feature fellowship, worship and discussion.

Dr Morgan said, "We will look at the messages of the five very different books and see what relevance they have to people living in the 21st century. I hope people will come along and join in the discussion."

The Bishop of Monmouth, Dominic Walker, will be out every weekday night in Lent, to talk about St Paul's letters to young churches and what can be learned from them today.

He said, "The New Testament contains a number of letters that St Paul wrote to the early Christian communities explaining the Christian faith. We shall be looking at these letters to see how they relate to Christian life today.

"There will be five different talks over five weeks – but those who cannot manage the same weekday each week can always come to another venue."

Bishop Walker has also launched a Lent appeal to raise money for the Raven House Trust, which provides food and furniture to people in need, and the Jeel al Amal School for Orphans in Bethany.

All the talks begin from February 18 and start at 7.30pm and everyone is welcome to attend.

Bishop Walker will be at St Cadoc's Church, Raglan on Mondays, St Peter's Church, Blaina, on Tuesdays, Newport Cathedral on Wednesdays, Pontprennau Community Church on Thursdays and St Mary's Church hall, Magor, on Fridays.